Yesterday we met with sir David Metcalf, the Director of Labour Market Enforcement to discuss the new enforcement strategy of his office. The meeting was organised by the Labour Exploitation Advisory Group which is maintained by Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX). It was an opportunity for us to have a say in DLME consultation and […]

We are organising a series of events for our Polish, Romanian and Bulgarian communities in Brent, part of the Brent Eastern European Fair on the 17th of June. Knowing that Eastern Europeans are keen to find out more about securing their status in the UK after Brexit, our workshops will be on permanent residency and British […]

We are organising a new workshop on permanent residency and British Citizenship for the Romanian community. The workshop will take place on 13th of June, at Romanian Cultural Centre, London ( Manchester Square, 18 Fitzhardinge Street, London W1H 6EQ), from 18:30. To reserve a place, please contact voice@eerc.org.uk.

We are happy to invite you to another permanent workshop – on the 6th of June, from 7 – 9 pm at POSK. During the two hours, we will go through the application process and eligibility and we will also have some time for questions. To book a place, please contact ula@eerc.org.uk or call 020 8741 1288.

On 29 March 2017 we met with the government representatives, TellMAMA and Community Safety Trust who have been helping us to become a third party reporting site for hate crimes committed against Poles and other Eastern Europeans in London and the UK. We are committed to join the government, the civil society organisations and the criminal […]

On 10 April we had a pleasure of hosting Andreea Pastirnac, the Minister for Romanians Abroad in the national government of Romania. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss issues faced by Romanians in the UK that contribute to disadvantage and poverty of some sections of Romanian communities in the UK. Mainly, we focused on […]

A new guide for victims of hate crime and organisations supporting them has just been published! It’s free. You can download it here: Dealing With Hate Crime March17 UKREN, our partner in the project ‘Eastern European Hate Crime Advocates’, has written a concise, no-nonsense guide describing rights of victims of hate crime, obligations of the police […]

We are organising a free event for the Polish community regarding the permanent residency application. We are very committed to prepare our communities for a post Brexit future in the UK and we strongly believe that being well informed about the permanent residency application would make them more resilient. The event will be on 26th of […]

We expressed our concern about Central and Eastern Europeans being treated as second class EU citizens after Brexit actually takes place. Read the full article here http://news.sky.com/story/eastern-europeans-fear-second-class-future-with-brexit-10808477

After the success of last year’s events, we begin a new series of events dedicated to the Eastern European community. The first one is on the 25th of March, in Stratford and aims to outreach to the large community of Eastern Europeans living in the area. Continuing on our work from last year, we identifiyed a […]

Our CEO, Barbara Drozdowicz met with the BBC to talk about how things could change for EU nationals in the UK after Brexit. A enquiry into the great uncertainty ahead. Listen here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08dc3tw

On Wednesday, 18 January 2017, we met with a group of Polish MPs: Konrad Głębocki, Małgorzata Wypych, Anna Schmidt-Rodziewicz, Bożena Kamińska and Zbigniew Gryglas to discuss current state of affairs in regards to hate crime targeted at Poles in the UK. Having discussed a number of current issues as well as the potential for future […]

On Tuesday, 17 January 2017, we were invited to BBC Radio 4 morning show to discuss concerns of EU nationals living in the UK and British expats living in Spain in the face of approaching Brexit. The programme was broadcast in Britain and Spain together through linking up BBC Radio 4 and the biggest British […]

On Wednesday, 18 January 2017, we are giving evidence to the House of Commons’ Committee on Exiting the EU. We are going to discuss our areas of concern in relation to the UK leaving the European Union. We are going to touch upon legal situations of EU nationals currently living in the UK and those […]

On Wednesday, 11 January 2017, we attended a meeting with Mr Andrea Rigoni, Member of Parliament in Italy and a Representative at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Mr Rigoni has been appointed by the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons of that Assembly as Rapporteur for a report on Migration as an […]

On Tuesday, 10 January 2017, our chief executive officer Barbara Drozdowicz gave evidence to the Home Affairs select committee on hate crime and its violent consequences. Barbara was asked about rise of hate crime enquiries around the Brexit referendum, examples of enquiries, sources of and reasons of hate incidents and the broader context of integration […]

We contributed to an article on Jeremy Clarkson’s Grand Tour show published by the daily Star on 13 December 2016. The episode shows Richard Hammond playing ‘a migrant’ who is then smuggled in the booth of Audi through the border. You can read the article here. We were appalled on learning about the episode and portrayal […]

Join us for the ISLINGTON TOGETHER AGAINST HATE CRIME event on Tuesday, 29 November 2016, in Finsbury Park Mosque, 7-11 St. Thomas’s Road, N4 2QH. Event starts 7pm, with refreshments from 6.30pm. Among speakers are Jeremy Corbin MP and our own Kasia Zagrodniczek, Information Campaign Coordinator. We will speak about hate crime affecting Eastern Europeans, […]

We are speaking at the annual London conference of Migrant Voice, an organisation that promotes voice of migrant communities in the UK, on the 25th November (Friday), from 9.30am to 4pm. We encourage you all to come to the event and join us in discussions. All details are available here. Entry is free. Their annual […]

We comment on nationals statistics showing that there is an increase in numbers of workers coming to the UK from the 2004 and 2007 EU accession countries after the Brexit referendum. We believe that the Brexit referendum and uncertainties around the future relationship between the EU and the UK haven’t changed much the way how […]

On 25 October 2016 we were invited to the ITV’s topical show The Agenda as experts to give our contribution to the discussion about immigration. We were asked about Eastern Europeans and the effect the Brexit referendum and the debate has been having on them and their lives in the UK. You can watch the whole […]

As of 10 October 2016 fees for First-Tier Tribunal for immigration cases have gone up 500%. It means that lodging an appeal to the Home Office decision changed from £80 (for decisions on papers) and £140 (for oral hearing) to £490 and £800 respectively. Upper Tribunal fees have been affected as well – new fees have […]

On Thursday, 6 October 2016, we hosted Andy Slaughter MP, a member of Parliament representing Hammersmith. We discussed issues affecting Eastern Europeans living and working in Hammersmith: housing, access to welfare aid and fair employment. We also talked about recent hate crime incidents and ways of supporting our communities so that people feel empowered and […]

On Friday, 30 September 2016, we were invited by His Excellency Dr Arkady Rzegocki to meet Dr Adam Bodnar, the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Republic of Poland (an Ombudsman). The aim of the meeting was to discuss an issue of hate incidents against Polish residents of the UK in the aftermath of the […]

An exciting opportunity for people who want to help us to get through to the most disadvantaged and marginalised Eastern Europeans in London and deliver comprehensive engagement activities for relevant stakeholders with a say over welfare and wellbeing of our communities! We are looking for an experienced Information & Outreach Coordinator to join our new exciting […]

On Friday, 16 September, we were in TF1, the largest French television broadcaster, discussing how the Brexit referendum impacted on Eastern Europeans in London. We talked about increased levels of reported hate speech and hate crime and about strategies people have been adopting to secure themselves from hostilities of the less friendly residents. The filming […]

On Saturday, 10 September, we hosted an awareness-raising seminar for Romanian communities in Brent. It went extremely well and we received lots of great feedback! Next: Harrow in November! Check our our news section and Fecebook page for updates. Thank you all agencies and organisations for presenting essential facts about rights of Eastern Europeans in […]

On Monday, 5 September, we were in BBC London Radio at 6.10pm, on BBC One Inside Out at 7.30pm and in the Evening Standard talking about the increase of hate speech and hate crime that have followed the Brexit referendum on 23 June 2016. You can read the Evening Standard article here. Soon we should be able […]

We are in Sky News article talking about the increase of interest in applications to become a British citizen. This increase has been sparked by fears over the future of Eastern Europeans and other EU nationals post the Brexit referendum. The article also quotes Eastern European nationals who made their lives for themselves and families […]

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has published estimates of The UK population by place of birth and nationality for the year between January and December 2015. ONS estimates that there is almost 3.2 million of EU nationals living in the UK, of which 1.6 million from Central and Eastern Europe (the 2004 and 2007 […]

Display Stand supplier Display Wizard kindly donated a banner to our charity!!! We would like to thank Display Wizard for their generosity – with the banner we are more visible and reach out to even more Eastern European migrants in need of advice and support. Thank you Display Wizard!

Labour Exploitation Advisory Group (LEAG) of which we are members, has published a new research addressing the issue of labour abuses that in certain circumstances turn into exploitation and modern slavery. The report contains also a number of recommendations to public agencies concerned about labour relations and exploitation. Read the report here. We have participated […]

Today Crimestoppers launches its Modern Slavery Campaign. Click on the link to read more about modern slavery. Modern slavery may be around the corner – if you suspect that your neighbours, colleagues or just strangers on the street are victims of human trafficking, help set them free. Sadly, many Eastern Europeans toil in slavery on our […]

On Saturday, 9 July, we went to Neasden Festival to reach out to Eastern Europeans living in London Borough of Brent. The event was a great success – we met many of our fellow expats as well as the Mayor of Brent and key council officer. It was an excellent opportunity for us to highlight […]

The research project T-lang – Translation and Translanguaging: Investigating Linguistic and Cultural Transformations in Superdiverse Wards in Four UK Cities, which is a cooperation between the universities based across four cities – Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds and London, has written a blog about linguistic xenophobia, or symbolic linguistic violence, as an aftermath of the Brexit referendum. We have been […]

We are in the Open Democracy UK talking about post-referendum community tensions. Enjoy the article! https://opendemocracy.net/uk/hsiao-hung-pai/when-they-call-brexit-working-class-revolt-they-mean-white-british-working-class

We went to the round table of the DCLG hosted by Baroness Williams of Trafford, minister for integration and faith and equalities, to discuss what can we all do together to help our communities live peacefully again, and how the Government can help us to achieve it. We were the only organisation representing interests and views of the […]

Yesterday (July 6) we took part in a live discussion on MATV, a British community channel also watched in the USA. We talked about practical ways of solving community tensions, why these tensions emerged in the first place following the referendum, and about contributions Eastern European and other migrant communities have been making to the […]

We are members of the Migrant and Refugee Advisory Panel to the Mayor of London and we went (July 5) to speak with the Mayor’s office about what we can all do to stop hate speech and hate crime and bring peace to our communities. We looked at increase of racially motivated incidents across all communities, not only […]

We are in a Dutch newspaper Trouw talking about increase of community tensions, decrease of community cohesion and increase of fear among Eastern Europeans as a result of the Brexit referendum. Read it here! Please note: the article is in Dutch.

The Guardian is writing about the decision of Home Office to possibly revoke citizenships of hundreds of Eastern European children who were registered as British citizens between 2009 and 2014. The decision was made following the discovery of error in the application process where parents were not asked to present Workers Registration Scheme (WRS) certificate […]

We spoke in the Polish mainstream TV channel TVN about threats and expectations if Brexit happens. You can watch it here: http://www.tvn24.pl/czarno-na-bialym,42,m/czarno-na-bialym-brexit-po-polsku,655435.html#autoplay The programme is in Polish.

Last Thursday we went to BBC Asian Network Radio to take part in the discussion about Brexit. We talked about economy and immigration and how Brexit may impact both. We highlighted that many of our community members feel uncomfortable because we feel blamed for all wrongs and many of us is not sure what would […]

Yesterday we met Paul Broadbend, a CEO of Gangmasters’ Licensing Authority (GLA) to discuss how we can work together for the benefit of Eastern European workers. Together with the GLA we are rolling out a series of information events across London targeting specifically those who work in food processing and agricultural occupations. We are starting […]

May brings many exciting opportunities to learn more about your rights as a EU national in the UK. This month we are going to talk about residence, voting rights, child benefits and tac credits, employment/self-employment rights and maternity/paternity rights. More details will follow soon – if you are interested in learning more NOW please email Kasia […]

Our charity friend, the AIRE Centre, has been working on challenging a joint operation between the Police and the Home Office called the Operation Nexus. They have evidenced that every year hundreds of Eastern Europeans and other foreigners are removed from the UK for as little as a suspicion that they may be no good […]

On 20 and 21 April we took part in the second European workshop relating the improvement of identification and support of victims of human trafficking. In July 2015 we went to Amsterdam as guest contributors of the first European Workshop within the EU project PRO-ACT looking at improving methods of identifying and supporting victims of human […]

Today we met police officers from Metropolitan Police to discuss problems and solutions in regards to identifying and supporting victims of human trafficking for forced labour. Forced labour takes place in all sectors and industries, from agriculture to cleaning to food processing to forced stealing of goods. Forced labour is one of forms of modern […]

Join us for a FREE workshop in Romanian on the 10th April 2016, 1pm, in St Eleftherios Greek Orthodox Church, 113 Ruckholt Rd, London E10 5NT Do you want to be employed legally and do not know how to get started ? Do you know your rights at work? Do you know how to register as a […]

On March 5 2016 we organised a seminar on recognising qualifications and skills. Our trainer, Monika Trzebietke from NARIC UK, told participants what to do to have their qualifications recognised and provided individual advice to each participant at the end of the seminar. Participants told us about the event: ‘Very useful, meaningful, individual approach.’ ‘The […]

Last week Finnish newspaper published an article where we comment on European integration, Eastern Europeans in Britain and issues around changes to welfare systems in Europe. If you would like to have a look, an article is available here – the article is in Finnish.

You are invited to our FREE workshop on recognition and comparison of qualifications and skills – 1pm – 2.30pm, 5 March 2016 (Saturday), in our offices in Hammersmith. Please email Kasia on kasia@eeac.org.uk because this workshop has LIMITED PLACES. What: Recognition and Comparison of International Qualifications and Skills – FREE workshop When: 5 March 2016, […]

Diaspora Romaneasca, a Romanian London-based newspaper, published an article where we highlighted the importance of the immigration status of EU citizens living in the UK. The article looks at possibility of removal and deportation of European Union citizens and in what circumstances it may happen. Read it here: http://www.diasporaro.com/cand-uk-te-vrea-mai-mult-la-tine-acasa/ The article is in Romanian.

Today we spoke with the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Mr Kevin Hyland OBE to contribute to the implementation of Commissioner’s office strategic plan for improved identification and care for victims of modern slavery. The meeting was organised by Labour Exploitation Advisory Group, hosted by Focus on Labour Exploitation. More about our views on tackling labour exploitation and modern […]

Yesterday we received a great testimony to our continuous efforts to provide the best quality advice and support to our users (Mr J., Polish, 52 years old): ”I would like to thank Malgosia for her professional and efficient help that allowed me to get benefits for the long-term ill. I would also like to congratulate […]

Today we are celebrating Liubov’s last day in the office. She’s been our star volunteer. Liubov devoted her time, skills, knowledge and passion to help us further our mission. She assisted with outreach, casework and communications. We are sad to see her leave but we are happy to congratulate her expanding career in interpretation/translation. Best luck and we […]

East European Advice Centre calls students from the 2004 and 2007 accession countries* to apply for ERASMUS internship in 2016. All details of the role are explained in this document >>> Erasmus Placement Offer EEAC – Gateway Assistant – please read it carefully before applying. If you are a student eligible for ERASMUS, please contact an ERASMUS […]

The Ambassador of the Republic of Poland Mr Witold Sobkow invited us to celebrate Christmas in the Polish Embassy in London. It was an excellent opportunity to exchange information on needs of disadvantaged Poles in the UK and share good practice of working with them. We met colleagues from the Ollalo House, St. Mungo’s Broadway, Glass […]

Yesterday we attended a meeting in the House of Lords co-sponsored by Baroness Hamwee and organised by Focus on Labour Exploitation that looked at the government’s efforts to tackle labour market exploitation and a new Immigration Bill. The discussion focused on Part One of the Immigration Bill that sets out measures to create a Director […]

On the 1st of December Romania celebrated its Day of Independence, commemorating the day the country became free in 1918. We were invited and had an opportunity to have a productive chat with the consulate’s attaché for labour and social affairs and the director of economic affairs as well as other stakeholders. We discussed issues of […]

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